After the Escape
by The Cheshire Kat
Summary: Riddick saves Jack and Imam, but what happens after? Will they be one big happy family, or will they go their seperate ways? What happens when Riddick's past is entangeled in Jack's future? (Note: PG13 for swearing)
1. Eina kleina nacht musik (A little bit of...

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters (although, I wouldn't' mind owning Vin Diesel ;) )  
  
Riddick rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and looked at the stars outside the small spaceship. They were beautiful, but deadly if you got to close. Their gravity would suck you in and you'd die on their fire filled sky. That described him, in a way. Beautiful but deadly. He looked over at Jack, sleeping. She was grossly underweight and slightly sick from the lack of food. Her period was gone from the weight loss. Imam seemed to be doing the best out of the three of them, used to the fasting and self- deprivation. He saw lots of planets, but all of them were either uninhabited or filled with the scum of the universe. Riddick laughed at that. Here was the most notorious killer in Slam playing superhero for a holy man and a kid. Thinking of Jack made him smile slightly. She was always trying to be brave, always trying to hide her suffering. She slept most of the time, to avoid the hunger pains gnawing at her gut. Riddick was hungry too, but he never ate much anyway. He heard someone cry out from the back of the ship and got up to go investigate it. He saw Jack with tears streaming down her face sleeping. This happened every once and a while, when the dreams got to be just too vivid. She never told him what they were about, but he always woke her up and talked her into reality. He knelt beside her and gently shook her shoulders, not wanting to frighten her even more. She let out one last scream before her eyes shot open. It took the girl a few seconds to fully grasp her surroundings, but Riddick felt her shoulders relax. He positioned himself so that he was sitting beside her.  
  
"You okay?" he asked. She nodded mutely. He changed positions again so that she was leaning against his chest. Her breathing was slightly labored. "You need to calm down, little girl. You'll hyperventilate"  
  
"I'm not a little girl" she said, slightly peeved.  
  
"Yes, you are"  
  
"An not!"  
  
"Are to" This kept going for a good ten minutes, until Jack's breathing had returned to normal.  
  
"You wanna tell me what you were dreaming about?" Her eyes widened slightly and she shook her head.  
  
"Tell me. It'll make you feel better."  
  
"Every time it's the exact same thing." She took a deep breath. "We're on the planet, and our remaining lights are about to die. You can't get the plane started, so we go outside to se what the problem is. Imam is looking at something under the ship, and you're looking at something under the wing. Two of those creatures sneak up on you and Imam. I try to yell to tell you that they're there, but no sound comes out. I see both of you get slashed up and eaten. Once they're done with you two they come after me. I suddenly have your shiv and am trying to get away, and suddenly Johns appears. He takes my shiv away and ties me up with some rope, then he leaves me. He takes the only light and gets on the ship. This time its starts. He keeps the lights off until he gets into space, then he flies away. As soon as he's gone, the creatures surround me. I try to get free, but the bonds are too tight. Every time I try to loosen them they get tighter and tighter until I can't breathe. I can't see anything, but I can hear them. They keep getting closer and closer, and I can feel their breath on the back of my neck. Then.its all over."  
  
"What happens?" he asked, genuinely interested.  
  
"I wake up. I never find out if I live or die, but I know I die. Alone on that God forsaken planet with those damned bloodsucking leaches." She finished, sweating. He wrapped his arms around her, wanting her to know that everything was going to be all right. She relaxes into his arms and closes her eyes. Soon she is asleep again. Riddick starts to think again about the creatures and hoe they have changed his life.  
  
"Maybe I should thank the little fuckers." He smiled into the darkness, feeling the warmth of Jack nestled in his arms. 


	2. The Past is the Key to the Present

Notes/Shout outs ~ Jack is 12 in this version, and Riddick loves her like a father or older brother.  
  
Magickal ~ you sound like a superhero ;) Scattycat ~ I will don't worry :)  
  
Riddick stayed there with Jack in his arms for a good hour. Knowing that someone needed him again made him feel better. He thought about his past and how horribly wrong his life had gone. He had once had a promising future, 12 years ago. He had been in Slam for that long, convicted of a crime he didn't commit. He thought about who had committed the crime he had been punished for, and he realized that he'd do it all over again the exact same way if he had the chance. He let his thoughts wander to the night his whole life had changed.  
  
Richie smiled at his best friend as she took a swig of beer. She was settled comfortable in her chair, watching the band on the stage play. It was a local band that was surprisingly good, with a deep rhythm. He took a swig of his own beer when trouble walked into the room.  
  
"Don't look now, but here comes trouble" Richie murmured to Blaze. Johns, the spoiled son of a rich judge, walked into the bar like he owned the whole damn world. He pulled up a chair and sat next to Blaze, who turned her body away, acting like she was absorbed in the music. His friends pulled up chairs as well, staying well away from Riddick. After ten minutes of being ignored, Johns tried to touch her, but Riddick's hand shot out and clamped onto his.  
  
"I wouldn't do that if I were you" Riddick warned, which earned a smile from Blaze. She leaned into Riddick and rested on his chest, daring Johns to touch her again. Johns thought better of it and walked out of the bar, his goons following behind him.  
  
"Thanks Richie. Johns is such an asshole sometimes. Was he always like that?"  
  
"As far back as I can remember, and you're welcome." Richie smiled. Blaze didn't move from her spot on Riddick's chest for the entire night, and Richie really didn't mind. About an hour later they left as the bar closed, and went out the back to avoid the crowd of people at the front door. Richie stopped for a second to light a cigarette when he heard a muffled scream from Blaze. He whipped around to see her being held by one of Johns's minions. Richie threw down the just lit cigarette and ran to the struggling pair and ripped Blaze out of her captor's arms. The thug threw a well-placed right hook that sent the 22-year-old man sprawling. The thug grabbed Blaze again and knocked her to the ground, where he proceeded to try to rip off her clothes. Riddick got up and pulled the man off his best friend. He noticed Johns a little ways away, watching the whole thing. Blaze got up, fire in her green eyes. Richie was about to punch the guy again, but she stopped him.  
  
"He's mine." She said, and Riddick knew that by the time she was done with him, the thug was gonna wish he had gotten a beating from him. She threw the dazed man into the wall, and the satisfying sound of skull against brick was heard. She pulled him up and rammed her knee into his stomach, and then again into his groin. Johns made a move to help the poor thug, but Richie stopped him with one look. Johns new better than to tangle with a man more than twice his size. After another ten minutes of this punishment, Blaze let him drop to the ground. He slumped against the brick and his head fell to the floor. Blaze dusted off her hands and walled toward the two men. She slapped Johns.  
  
"That's for touching me earlier" she spat and walked away, Richie lighting a cigarette a step behind her.   
  
Riddick laughed at the memory and stopped short, not wanting to wake the sleeping teenager in his arms. He then thought of the nightmare that had ensued.  
  
The cops came and arrested Richie two days leter, for the murder of the street thug hired by Johns. The court battle that ensued was hell, Blaze insisting that she had killed the man out of selfe defense. However, Riddick knew he was going to jail when he heard the name of the judge presiding over the case. Wlaton Johns, Johns's father. Johns came as a witness, saying that Riddick had attacked the man without provocation, then proceeded to beat him to death. The trial lasted two months, and Riddick was sent to jail for homocide. He got 20 years for the alleged killing.   
  
He then remembered the night before his sentencing. Blaze had come to see him, crying. He had held her, telling her that everything was going to be alright. They made love that night, and as Blaze slept in his arms he knew that he would always love her and he would find his way back to her someday. He smiled at the memory and an unconscious tear slipped down his cheek at the sweet memory. He kissed the top of the sleeping girl's head and moved her so that he could get some sleep. He closed his eyes and thought of the future, and how bright it now seemed. 


	3. A Promsie is a Promise...

They soon found a refueling station and stopped long enough to get fuel and food. He asked directions to the nearest friendly planet, and was directed to a planet about a day away. They started towards the planet with, if not hopeful, slightly optimistic attitudes. With some food in her Jack looked a lot better and stayed awake longer than before. She would just sit and stare out the windows for hours, doing nothing. Riddick didn't intrude, and neither did Imam. They knew that she needed to figure things out for herself now. When they were about an hour away from the planet, Sungtum- 12, Riddick suddenly asked her a question that surprised everyone, including himself.  
  
"Kid" he started, Jack looked over at him, "Do you have any family?" The 12- year-old just nodded.  
  
"Well, where do they live? Or don't you want to go back to them?" he asked, none to delicately  
  
"Earth" she said, "and I don't want to go back just yet"  
  
"Why not? If you have a warm place to sleep and people who love you, why in the hell would you want to stay out here?" he asked, annoyed at the girl for wanting to throw away a perfectly good family.  
  
"Because I want to find my father." She said stubbornly. She crossed her arms and went back to looking at the stars.  
  
"Kid, listen. At least go back and let our mom know you're okay. Imam and I will take ya there, then you can come with us when we leave, if you want to." He said, he annoyance gone from his voice. He knew what it was like to want to find someone in the big blackness of space.  
  
"And" he continued after a pause, "Asking your mom about him is your best bet to find him" He let this sink in and rearranged some of their supplies. She finally nodded.  
  
"Okay. I'll go back, if you promise to take me with you." Riddick just nodded and continued messing around with the equipment. He hated lying to kids, but there was no way he was going to take a kid that had a family into space. Being around him right now wasn't safe, as every bounty hunter in the galaxy was looking for him. He'd just slip out during the night and leave her a note, simple as that. With this plan set firmly in mind he went back to the controls and sank into his own thoughts. 


	4. A Parting of the Ways.

Scattycat ~ for the first time in my life I actually have a pretty good idea of where this is going. I'll try to post as much and as often as possible. I especially wanted this NOT to be a Jack/Riddick romance fic. There are way too many of them out there. Although, the ones that are out there are pretty good. I just wanted to be original. Anyway, thanx for the review ;)  
  
Girfearless ~ Who knows? You might be on to something.or you might not be. You'll have to read to find out ;p.  
  
The stranded trio landed on a small planet a light year away from earth. There was a freighter leaving in a week destined for Earth. Riddick pawned the spaceship and most of the cargo, and got around $12,000 for the lot.  
  
"Imam," the holy man directed his attention to the escaped convict, "I was wondering if you want to come to Earth with us or go to New Mecca. I mean, I can give you a third of this and you can go to New Mecca if you want." Riddick made the offer.  
  
"Why a third?" Imam asked, not betraying any of his thoughts.  
  
"A third for you, a third for me, and a third for Jack" Riddick said it like Imam was a third grader, "That doesn't leave any extra." Imam just smiled, taking no offence whatsoever at Riddick's tone. He was glad to see that Riddick was taking care of the child, it would be good for him. They spent the week sleeping and eating, reveling in luxuries like food. Riddick washed the millimeter think layer of dirt off his body gratefully. Imam prayed eight times a day now, up from his usual five. Riddick had ceased to find Imam annoying or weird, he had just learned that that was the way Imam was. Jack went exploring most of the time, and Riddick never knew if she was coming or going. He suspected she was looking for a mainframe or database or something to tap into, but he never asked. At the end of the week, Imam accepted Riddick's offer of the third of the money. He wanted to continue his trip and then go home.  
  
"I was wondering. Where exactly do you live?" Riddick asked as Imam was boarding the ship.  
  
"I live on Earth, in Mecca" he said and smiled at the man. He took Riddick's hands in his and kissed the top of them  
  
"Salam and many blessings be upon you" he blessed Riddick. He then looked down at Jack and smiled, "and you too, little one" Riddick shook his hand and gave the first real smile he'd smiled in years.  
  
"Have a safe and prosperous journey" he said to Imam, and meant it. Over the months they had spent together, he had grown to truly care for the man, a feeling that was also very old to Riddick. He put his hand on Jack's shoulder and they went to go board their own flight home.  
  
The flight lasted about fifteen hours, not very bad. Jack looked like a car had just run over her bike or something. He knew that she was bored with life on earth and that she would miss the traveling. He secretly suspected, though, that she did want to go home. They sat mostly in silence, watching the stars go by. At the landing gate, Jack turned and faced Riddick.  
  
"If you want to go, I won't hold you to your promise to take me with you. I can get home on my own." She looked like this was very painful to say. Riddick laughed inside at he brave nature, not wanting him to see how her dreams had been dashed.  
  
"I'll get you home, kid" he said.  
  
"Really?" she asked, looking up at him.  
  
"Yeah. I got you this far. I might as well take you the whole way." He smiled at her. She wrapped her arms around his waist.  
  
"Thanks, Riddick"  
  
"No problem" he said. They got a taxi, and Jack gave the directions. They were there in half an hour and arrived at a set of apartments. They were nice, with a small fountain in the middle. They took the elevator to the third floor, where they went to room 323.  
  
"I lost my key" Jack suddenly said and knocked on the door. There was a sound of "I'm coming" and the door opened. The woman took one look at her daughter and grabbed her.  
  
"Oh baby, I'm so glad you home," she cried, hugging her daughter. Jack started to cry, too.  
  
"I'm glad to be home. I missed you, mama" she choked out. Finally the pair split apart and the woman looked at the man standing behind her daughter. He gave a small gasp, and Riddick's stomach lurched.  
  
"Blaze?" he whispered. 


	5. Together again

*smiling at everyone's gaping mouth* I got you all! Hehehehehe ;)  
  
Riddick stared into the eyes of his best friend and came he closest to fainting he ever had in his whole life. She was still as beautiful as she ever was, though twelve years had changed her some. She had traded her army fatigues for jeans, although she still wore her black tank top. Her chestnut red hair hung down her back in a loose ponytail. Her face broke into a wide smile as she wrapped her arms around Riddick's neck. Jack looked somewhat confused. Riddick closed his eyes as he hugged her, remembering how it felt to have someone touch him without flinching, remembering someone wanting to touch him. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. He removed his goggles and she gasped. Then she smiled as she kissed his eyelids.  
  
"They look good" she said, hugging him again.  
  
"I hate them" he said honestly. Hey stayed silent for another minute or two, just being happy to be together again.  
  
"Excuse me" Jack said, "But I'm hungry if you don't mind." Blaze laughed. Her laugh was the sweetest music to Richie's ears. He followed Jack into the apartment, not even bothering to ask if he could come in. He closed the door behind him. Jack walked down the hall and passed the kitchen. Riddick stopped there and sat at one of the barstools. He removed his goggles and leather jacket and sat them on one of the chairs at the table. Blaze was rummaging around the cabinets, placing things on the counter as she went. By the ingredients that were placed out, Riddick surmised that they were going to be having Lasagna with meatballs, salad, and chocolate chip cookies for desert. Just thinking about all that food made his stomach grumble. Blaze heard the noise and looked up.  
  
"Tough trip?" She asked, looking at his seriously.  
  
"You could say that" he said, smiling slightly.  
  
"Why don't you tell me while I make dinner?" He knew he had to tell her sooner or later, so he might as well get it over with. Riddick started, telling her everything. Jack walked in, hair wet, wearing a pair of jeans and a Grateful Dead T-shirt. He soon got to the Taurus 2 part of the story, and Jack interjected things when she could. Soon he was done, and dinner was well on its way to being ready to be served. Riddick looked over at Jack and noticed the T-shirt she was wearing.  
  
"Cool shirt. Where'd you get such an old T-shirt?" he asked, remembering one he had had a long time ago, one that his dad had given him.  
  
"My dad left it, and mom gave it to me." She shrugged. Riddick looked over at Blaze, who nodded.  
  
"Turn around for a second, kid" he said. She gave him a puzzled look but did as she was told. He looked at the tag and his heart did a weird jump in his chest. On it were written the initials HJR  
  
Harold Jack Riddick  
  
Richard Riddick's father. 


	6. Is it true??

Riddick didn't say anything about the T-shirt for the rest of dinner. They ate the great food and chatted about lots of things, least of all how glad Blaze was that Jack was back. Jack was exhausted from their trip and fell asleep watching a movie on TV. Riddick picked her up and put her in bed, pulling the covers around her. He smiled as he closed the door.  
  
He walked back into the living room, where Blaze was sitting with two cups of coffee. Her head was down, as if she was crying and she didn't want him to see it. Riddick moved silently as a cat and sat down next to her. In an instant he saw that she was crying. He put his arm around her and pulled her onto his chest. She cuddled up to him and let the tears come. Riddick held her close, wanting nothing in the world more than to make her pain go away. Soon she was done crying and she looked into his eyes. She gently touched the skin to the sides of his eyes. He missed her touch, he missed how much she cared about him. A tear leaked out, and made its way down his cheek. She smiled at him.  
  
"You an get then fixed, you know" she said, looking at his eyes more closely. She got up and grabbed a pen light and sat back down. She played the light in his eyes, looking at them.  
  
"The doctor who did this really screwed up" she commented, "but it can be fixed if you want. There are lots of hairline scratches on your eyes, which will need to heal, and your vision won't be 20/20. You'll need contacts, but you should be able to see normally."  
  
"What color will they be?" he asked, curious.  
  
"Well, the pretty much normal, but your irises will be silver. There's no way to change that."  
  
"And how do you know all this?'" he joked.  
  
"Well, when it said on your record that you'd been shined, I looked into it." She smiled. Than Riddick asked the question that had been bugging him all night.  
  
"That T-shirt Jack was wearing was mine. Did you just tell her her dad left it, or.is she really mine?"  
  
"Do you want the easy answer, or the truth?" she asked  
  
"The truth"  
  
"Her father did leave that shirt" Riddick felt his world spin for the second time that day. He was a father! He suddenly felt such an enormous pride. Jack was his! He looked into the eyes of his best friend, who was looking at him uncertainly and smiled. She closed her eyes and for the second time that day she cried for happiness. 


	7. A very pressing matter...

He and Blaze watched a movie that night, not really paying any attention to it. Blaze was just concentrating on the beating of Riddick's heart, and Riddick was relaxing for the first time in 12 years. It had been as long since he'd seen a movie, since he'd had the pleasure of doing nothing. He reveled in it. The only source of light was from the TV, so Riddick took his goggles off and put them on the coffee table. He closed his eyes and for the first time didn't hear Carolyn's last words. He lazily draped his arm around Blaze and pulled her closer to him. She cuddled into the crook of his arm and laid her head on his chest. Her golden hair splayed across him, making a beautiful fan.  
  
She turned her eyes to his, "Are you here, or am I dreaming?" she asked, her green eyes full of uncertainty.  
  
"Yes, I'm here; and I'm not going anywhere anytime soon" he promised. She smiled.  
  
"Prove it" she said, with a hint of laughter in her voice. He smiled a catlike smile as he leaned his head to hers; their lips met and a jolt rocked his system. Kissing her felt like coming home after a really long day. He slipped his arms around her waist, and she snaked her own around his neck. They broke the kiss and Blaze tightened her grip on him.  
  
"I'm here, kid. Don't worry" he whispered.  
  
At about one o'clock in the morning, Riddick picked a half-conscious Blaze up from the couch and carried her into the bedroom. He undid her ponytail and pulled the covers around her.  
  
He went to leave when he heard her voice, "Don't go"  
  
"I'm gonna be on the couch." He promised. Seeing the look on her face made him relent. When he started walking towards the bed she gave him a superior smile and pulled the covers from the other side of the bed. He sat on it and undid his combat boots, placing them on the floor next to the bed. He pulled his shirt off and climbed into bed. Blaze found him under the covers and hugged him. They slept that way all night, Riddick's arm protectively around her.  
  
The next morning Blaze woke up and was startled to find another person in her bed. She realized that the previous day had not been an incredibly real dream, and that Richie really was back. She changed quickly and went to check on Jack. The girl was sound asleep, the covers dwarfing her small form. Blaze smiled and went into the kitchen. She pulled out eggs, bacon, and lots of other ingrediants  
  
Soon the sound and smells of breakfast roused the sleeping pair. Blaze heard a groggy voice call her name.  
  
"What do you need?" she answered  
  
"My goggles" came Riddick's slightly scratchy voice. Blaze grabbed the goggles and handed them to Riddick. He adjusted them and looked at her. He let out a great yawn and tried to ask "what time is it?" but it came out more as "Whaaaaatim'st"  
  
"9:30" Riddick shook his head  
  
"I haven't slept that long in a while" he commented and sniffed the air.  
  
"What smells so good?"  
  
"Breakfast." Riddick's face lit up as he went into the kitchen and surveyed the cooking food. Soon a smaller figure emerged from the other bedroom, rubbing her eyes and scratching her stubbily hair.  
  
"Morning sweetheart"  
  
"Morning" she said. She noticed Riddick in the kitchen and just stopped herself from doing a doubletake. This, however, did not go unnoticed by Riddick or Blaze. Riddick arched an eyebrow  
  
"Think I wouldn't stay?" Jack nodded a bit sheepishly. Riddick smiled (a thing that he could get used to).  
  
"Don't worry. I'm not going soon, and when I do it won't be far. Promise" Jack tried to conceal a smile but failed. Soon the triad was sitting at the table once more, feasting on scrambled eggs with mushroom and cheese, and sausage, bacon, fresh handmade bread, and fruit.  
  
After they finished Riddick leaned back from the table contentedly. If he didn't watch it he was going to get fat from her cooking.  
  
"There a gym around here?" he asked Blaze, who was handing dished to Jack, who was loading them in the dishwasher. Riddick got up and started handing the dished to Blaze and in no time the kitchen was spotless again.  
  
"Uh-huh. It's down on Cayman and Barksdale. I go there sometimes, why?"  
  
"Oh, I was just thinking about trying to get a job there" he said.  
  
"Oh, no. Take at least a week off." She ordered, "Go there to work out if you want, but wait to get a job; and as for you, young lady, you will be home schooled for the rest of the year so you can make up what you missed." Jack looked slightly peeved but relented. There was a knock on the door and Jack sprang up.  
  
"I'll get it" she made her way to the door. Riddick heard the door open and Jack's voice, then he heard another voice her recognized. Imam and Jacked walked into the kitchen. Riddick didn't bother not to gawk.  
  
"Nice to see you, but how did you find me?" he asked. Imam looked at Blaze. Jack made the introductions,  
  
"Imam, this is my mother, Heather Miakoda. Mom, this is my friend, Imam Hassim-Abu Ali" The pair shook hands.  
  
"I'm sorry for barging in here like this, Mrs. Miakoda" Imam started  
  
"Oh, its no trouble at all, its Miss Miakoda, and please call me Blaze" Jack's mother said graciously  
  
"Again" Riddick said, disregarding the pleasantries, "How did you find me?"  
  
"With some trouble, my friend. I found Jack's last name in a phone book and went to all 12 addresses. This was the last one on the list." Riddick relaxed slightly. No one knew who Jack was besides him and Imam.  
  
"Why'd you go through all the trouble?" Jack asked.  
  
"I have some bad news" He started, "I was in New Mecca when I was approached by some men. They asked me if I was Imam Ali, and I said yes, naturally. They wanted to know all about the planet and the creatures that inhabit it. I don't know how they knew, but I think they might try to find you"  
  
"Why"  
  
"I don't know, but by the questions they were asking were very odd."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like where the creatures live, and what kind of equipment was left, what the creatures eat, how they eat, what the terrain is like, and so forth" Riddick thought for a second when the realization hit him. Riddick cursed under his breath.  
  
"What is it, Mr. Riddick?" Imam asked.  
  
" These are the types of questions a person would ask when trying to get to a planet and take a few of the creatures back with them." Jack gasped.  
  
"How would they know about them?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know, kid, but we have to stop them" 


	8. Update!

Hey everyone!! Wow, so many reviews while I've been away! I loved them all, so thanx a lot. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I just got my Internet back, so expect LOADS more stuff on all my stories (I promise to try to come up w/ a new chapter for each).  
  
Anyway, tootles all you wonderful people!  
  
Blaze 


	9. Hey All

Hey everyone!! I am SO sorry I haven't updated in, like, forever, but school got me swamped and I was working all summer. I'm in college now (finally! No more APPLICATIONS!!) Anyway, this is just a little note to tell everyone to look out for more of their favorite fics coming soon (My writer's block is also gone, so my stuff won't suck anymore. Yea!!) Thank you all so much for leaving reviews even though I haven't updates in a while. Luv ya!

The one and only Cheshrie Charlie


End file.
